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Friday, September 11, 2015

The Only Woman in the Room. A conversation with Rita Lakin

RHYS BOWEN: One of the surprising things about writing mysteries is the people that you meet. Mystery writers come from an amazing range of backgrounds and have pasts that would make terrific stories in themselves. But no one has surprised me more than RITA LAKIN. I first
realized that she was a lot more than a writer of cozy paperback mysteries
when she was on a Liars panel I hosted at a convention.

Script writer, producer, director of programs that were iconic to many of us growing up: Peyton Place, Dynasty, The Rookies, Mod Squad and many more. So I had to have her on Jungle Red to celebrate the publication of her autobiography, THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM. Read on and you'll see why I was so absolutely fascinated. .Rita, welcome to JRW and congratulations on the publication of your memoir. So let's go back to that famous Liar's panel. Some of your answers
certainly raised my eyebrows and you were clearly the winner of the game
because nobody believed you when you were telling the truth. Invited to join
the Mile High Club by Omar Shariff? Who is this woman, I thought? And then I
found out. Wow, lady, you have led quite a life. What made
you finally decide to write your memoir?

RITA LAKIN: not “what, but “you” at that Liar’s panel. It
had never entered my mind, ever, that I had any reason to write my
memoir. To me memoirs were about famous people. But, based on all the laughter
to my answers at that panel, I thought I might a put together a slim volume of
funny anecdotes during those 25 years I spent in
Hollywood.

I
had people read my effort, and they suggested that I write a real memoir. Which
then led me to dig out boxes of memorabilia - stuff I’d rat-packed away
for 50 years. Once I went through much of it, I realized there was a
book. I’d forgotten how often I wondered where the other women writers were and
that’s when the story took off in my mind. 275 pages later, I felt I might have
something unique.

RHYS: What made
you think you could break into TV writing and producing when it was so clearly
a man's world?

RITA LAKIN:“Think” being the odd word here. There was no thought. I
was a widow with three small children and I needed to earn money. I managed to
get a secretarial job at Universal despite the fact I couldn’t type. And after
reading the movie scripts on the lot and the realization that writing scripts
paid much more money than I was making, I made the decision to write a script. I
had been writing short stories for years, and selling a few, considering it a
hobby, it wasn’t thatbig a jump to
thinking I could write.

RHYS:What was
the hardest thing for you in those days?

RITA LAKIN:Getting
past the grief of being in mourning. Balancing raising children alone and
working long hours honing my craft.I was very lucky. The men I
worked for were kind and helpful.

RHYS: Apart
from Mr. Shariff and the mile high incident what are some other favorite
fantastic stories you share in the book?

RITA LAKIN: I had the biggest opportunity of my career early
on, to adapt a novel for a very prestigious show. The other writers (all men)
were world famous. All the actors were famous, too. (writers, the caliber of
William Inge and actresses like Ann Bancroft. This was big time) Unfortunately for me I was
written up in Variety as a secretary in with all these famous people. Alas, the
big name actress picked to star in my movie refused to work in a script written
by a “lowly secretary.” She wanted a famous writer, also. So, I was
dumped.

Being partnered with another writer on Dynasty. He actually had murdered his
wife and even wrote a book about it. He was creepy.

Thinking I’d been asked to his office to pitch
a movie idea, a producer pimped a man for me. He turned out to be a mafia boss
who wanted to set me up in a house in Beverly Hills and send all my children to
college. It was an offer, he insisted, I couldn’t refuse. I declined.

Another producer I worked for insisted I put his name on
my Mod Squadscript. The show won the
MWA Edgar that year. He never told me about the win, nor that he’d gone to the
ceremony in NY, and picked up our awards. Nor did he tell me about the Edgar
statue I won, that he kept. All he gave me was a certificate saying I won. Need
I mention I was very naïve in those days? I hadn’t known about that Edgar
award. I wish I could get my statue back.

RHYS:
These days you write about a little old lady detective with her friends in
Florida. Funny and so accurate. But do you ever itch to get back to the edgy
scripts you wrote in those earlier days?

RITA LAKIN: I’ve written
464 scripts for television, 8 MOW’s, 2 Mini-series- spanning 30 TV productions. I
consulted on 60 shows. Created and produced a number of them as well.

19 comments:

Okay . . . amazing and inspiring, although it's sad that some of your experiences, like the Edgar award, are just plain mean. I'm guessing those sorts of things were common at the time???

I remember all your shows that Rhys named [and watched them, too]; however, I immediately recognized your name from when you were the head writer for my all-time forever favorite show, The Doctors. I am so looking forward to reading your book.

Oh my gosh, you have amazing stories! I'm so interested in your comment that you no longer have the itch! Does that mean you'll push on and write something anyway? Wait until the itch appears? Or maybe retire?

What wonderful stories. What a louse the Edgar hog was. But that is how women were treated, and at times, I suspect still are! I'm looking forward to a great read. Keep on writing those Florida stories. They are fun reads!

I'm a huge fan of yours, Rita! What an amazing life and career, SO worthy of a memoir. I can't wait to read it. My parents were contract writers at Fox (when you were still a babe in arms), such an exciting time to be in the movie business. But YOU were in TV at that same kind of fantastic moment. Make that momentS. So happy to see you here on Jungle Red. And by the way I saw that Liar's panel and it was hilARious!

Welcome, Rita! I can't wait to read your memoir. And thank you for being a ground-breaker. We're so used to women being able to step through (almost) every door today, we forget we owe a debt to all those who were, originally, the only woman in the room.

Having been the only woman in the room, many times, I know exactly where you're coming from, especially in the case of the award hog. I feel the same frustrations today, at times, when I read the news. So infuriating. Wish we could all help you get the statue, Rita.

But on the other hand, it was an exciting time--for TV, for writing, and for being an attractive woman surrounded by men. I will very much look forward to reading your story. Best of luck!

I'm not only amazed and impressed by what you accomplished as a woman, I'm gobsmacked that you did it while raising three children. You deserve not only a memoir, but a statue entitled, "This is strength!" Well, maybe a few more adjectives need to be added, such as smart, persistent, fearless, and pioneering. Rita, you are someone who should never stop writing.

I'm looking forward to reading your book, and I agree with Debs about writing the mystery where the greedy Gus gets murdered with the Edgar.

Rhy: Thanks for having Rita share some of her fascinating background. I've always known her as a gutsy woman--just never realized the scope of it all. We have already preordered Rita's book and are really looking forward to reading it.

Just as an aside, Rita: A house and paid college education for your children? Would the gangster have settled for a quick feel for one college education?

I've been writing to you all day but my computer never let me get through.So, briefly, thank you all for your kind words. Yes, I'll still keep writing.Thanks for suggestions for getting back my MWA statue. But, alas, Harve Bennett, the villain producer, has gone off the mortal coil.

In my post published fantasies I'd hope he'd read my book, call and apologize profusely, and give it back to me. But that won't happen.

FYI The first photo, I'm standing with Aaron Spelling.In the second, this is the Peyton Place group portrait. The first tie I ever met women writers.They are Peggy Shaw, Sonya Roberts and Carol Sobieski. Pau Monash, the producer, was the first one I ever met who looked for women writers to hire.

Rita, I'm delighted that you decided to turn your answers on the liars panel into a real memoir. The readers of "The Only Woman in the Room" have a real treat in store! Looking forward to seeing this book between covers -- and the next Gladdy Gold novel as well.

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